Top home improvement loans compared

About Top home improvement loans compared

Renovating a kitchen or replacing a boiler means borrowing against a plan, not against a whim. This ranking covers 552 lenders and brokers that let you borrow for home improvement work, and it weighs the things that decide whether a loan is worth signing: what you pay, whether the money is safe, and how the account works day to day. The main trade-off is size against access. Large secured sums repayable over years can carry lower rates but need property, paperwork and a wait. Small fast advances reach the bank account in minutes, but the rate you are quoted can be many times higher. Brokers widen the choice of lenders but sit between you and the firm that actually lends. Some members here are direct lenders, others marketplaces, and the difference matters when a query goes unanswered. Read the rate, the term and the fee together, because the cheapest headline number is rarely the cheapest loan once the interest and any commission are added up.

How we picked

Every member is scored on weighted pillars. Trust carries the largest weight at 40%, which rewards a clear legal entity, a stated market, published terms and support people can reach. Cost is weighted at 35%, built from the representative rate, the arrangement fee and whether early repayment is free. Offer is weighted at 25%, covering borrowing size, term, loan type, rate type and speed of funding. Alongside the score we use the distribution of this category as a benchmark: typical annual rates here sit at 9.26%, typical loan sizes at €1,000 and typical terms at 60. Data comes from each provider's own terms, fee schedules, product pages and eligibility pages, and from eligibility and eligibility-style pages such as privacy and terms of use documents. Every figure in a blurb traces to a published provider source rather than a summary. Partners are listed first because they supply the underlying product, then the rest follow on score, so a higher position always reflects a stronger combination of cost, trust and offer rather than a single headline rate.

Our top picks

1. 2. Sofkredit: best for top-pick

   Sofkredit leads this ranking because it is the only member offering a secured home improvement loan of €12,000 to €300,000 repayable over 6 to 240, and the rate starts lower than most of the field. It is a broker working with collaborating lenders, and the legal entity behind the site is Kova Finance, S.L. Home improvement is a listed use, and the credit profile needed is poor, which suits borrowers with a thin file. The soft prequalification check means you can see where you stand before a full application. Two things to weigh: the collaborating lender charges an arrangement fee of 6% to 9% of the loan while Sofkredit's own service costs you nothing, and funding takes longer than the same-day headline suggests. Monzo Flex below sends money in minutes, Sofkredit takes weeks unless the paperwork is already with the notary.

   • APR: 10.74% to 18.06%
   • Loan amount: €12,000 to €300,000
   • Term: 6 to 240 months

   Pros

   • Sofkredit's own service costs nothing, so the only charge to weigh is the lender's arrangement fee of 6% to 9%.
   • The loan range €12,000 to €300,000 and the term range 6 to 240 suit both renovation projects and debt consolidation.
   • Eligibility leans towards weaker files, with the credit needed listed as poor, and the credit check is soft prequal.
   • The range 0.5 to 20 lets a borrower fix the rate for a short stretch or a long one.
   • Same day funding is listed as same day funding once the notary signs.

   Cons

   • The arrangement fee of 6% to 9% is a large share of the loan, and the product fee on a small mortgage guaranteed loan runs €900 to €1,350.
   • Maximum loan to value is 30%, well below the 90% across listed lenders, so equity of your own is required.
   • Sofkredit is a broker, so the contract sits with the collaborating lender rather than the site you apply through.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, with no chat or community channel listed.

2. 4. Prestamiau

   Prestamiau takes third place in this ranking on speed and price, offering MXN 100 to MXN 20,000 with an origination fee of 0 MXN and a stated process that finishes inside a short session. It is a marketplace operated by Fininity OÜ, matching Mexican borrowers with lenders, and the credit profile needed is poor. The representative example shows a cost-free loan, so the headline rate of MXN 0 to MXN 36 is where the real cost appears. Terms run 3 to 4, which suits a small fix rather than a full renovation. The trade-off against Monzo Flex above is size and term, and the one against Solcredito below is support: contact runs through email only, so there is no phone or help centre to lean on if a payment date slips.

   • APR: MX$0 to MX$36
   • Loan amount: MX$100 to MX$20,000
   • Term: 3 to 4 months

   Pros

   • The origination fee is 0 MXN and the fee percentage is 0%, so the cost of taking out a personal or debt consolidation loan is low on paper.
   • Funding is quick, with Loan obtained in 5 minutes; full process under 30 minutes, and same-day funding is listed as a feature.
   • The rate is MXN 0 to MXN 36 against a site median of 12%, and the brand holds position 1 of 350 on rate.
   • The credit needed is poor, which matches applicants whose credit file is thin.
   • Loan amounts run MXN 100 to MXN 20,000, which suits a single expense rather than a large purchase.

   Cons

   • Repayment sits in 3 to 4, so the cost of the credit lands in a very short window.
   • Support runs on email only, so a question about a repayment date waits on an email reply.
   • The lender kind is marketplace, so the rate and amount you receive depend on the offers available when you apply rather than on a single named lender.
   • The brand ranks 676 of 685 on loan amount, so it sits low in the field for larger sums.

3. 6. Credityes ES

   Credityes ES is in this ranking as a Spanish broker that charges nothing for its service: the arrangement fee is 0% of the loan and no commission is taken for selecting it, and the rate band runs 0% to 36% from a cost-free example. It lends €100 to €5,000 over 2 to 36 and funds in a few minutes after a positive decision. The legal entity is SIA DoAff, and you need a Spanish residence, an email, a mobile number and a bank account in your own name. Set against Creditilia ES above, the sums are far smaller, which suits a bathroom refresh rather than a full renovation, and support is email only.

   • APR: 0% to 36%
   • Loan amount: €100 to €5,000
   • Term: 2 to 36 months

   Pros

   • The arrangement fee is free for the customer, because no commission is charged for selecting the loan, so nothing is added for putting it together.
   • Rates of 0% to 36% start lower than Monzo Flex, which publishes a band of 10% to 23%.
   • The representative example shows the total repayable equal to the amount borrowed, so the cheapest match costs nothing to carry.
   • Money in a few minutes after a positive decision once a decision is positive, so a bill that cannot wait can be covered.
   • Personal and payday borrowing sit under the same application, covering home improvement projects as well as a short-term gap.

   Cons

   • As a broker, Credityes ES leaves the final rate to the partner lender, so the published 0% to 36% is a starting point rather than an offer.
   • Borrowing tops out at €100 to €5,000, well below the largest personal loan recorded on the site, €653,159.33.
   • Support runs on email only, so a payment problem waits on a written reply instead of a phone line.
   • The upper end of 0% to 36% sits well above the personal loan median across the site, 12.25%.

What to look for

What you will pay in total

The annual rate is only part of the picture. Check whether the provider charges an opening or arrangement fee, and whether that fee is a percentage of the sum or a flat amount. Across this ranking the typical annual rate is 9.26%, with a middle band running 6.5% to 15.2%. Ask for the representative example and read the total repayable figure, not the monthly payment.

Whether early repayment costs you

Renovation budgets move. A loan you can settle early without penalty gives you room if the work finishes under budget or if you would rather clear the debt. Free early repayment appears in 82.4% of the providers here, and where it exists the cost case is easier to justify.

The size that matches your project

A kitchen refresh and a full renovation are different jobs. Borrowing limits in this category run from €350.74 to €3,082.61 at the middle of the range, with a median of €1,000. If the project needs a secured sum, expect to supply property details and accept a longer wait.

How the money reaches you

A contractor's invoice does not wait. Providers offering same-day funding make up 80.8% of this ranking, though the stated times range from minutes to days. Check what the provider actually says about approval versus the moment money lands, and whether a bank account in your own name is required.

Fixed or variable, and for how long

A fixed rate keeps the payment predictable for the life of the loan, which suits a fixed price quote. Fixed-rate products account for 100% of this ranking and fixed rate types for 81.8%. Typical terms here run 24 to 84, so you can spread a large project over years or keep the balance short.

The credit check you will face

Providers differ sharply here. Hard credit checks are the most common in this category at 75.2%, against 22.2% for soft prequalification. A soft check to see offers leaves less of a trace, but knowing your score and a steady income will widen your choices either way.

Frequently asked questions

Top home improvement loans compared by country

• Australia
• Canada
• Colombia
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Mexico
• Poland
• Portugal
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV